Tipper Fishfan checks out the best dive sites and sightseeing spots Zanzibar Island has to offer

The spacious, purpose-built dhow slid through the calm Indian Ocean. We were briefed sitting under the shade area of the deck and then kitted up and went through our buddy checks before a giant stride took us into the 30°C sea. Looking down I could just make out the dive site, an old British lighter, 27 metres below me. It was 9:30 a.m. and the day was going fantastically. I'd started the morning in Dar-es-Salaam and caught a Coastal Airways Cessna 182 for the 20-minute 07:30 flight to Stone Town on the west coast of Unguja, more commonly known as Zanzibar, for some low-level sunrise shots of the outlying reefs. Ten minutes in a taxi and I was kitting up at One Ocean Divers, a mug of coffee steaming next to me.

One Ocean started 14 years ago, and in 1999 it was taken over by Aussie Gary Greig and his South African wife, Gail. Having started with a single dive shop in Stone Town, they now operate from four other resorts around the island. On the leisurely cruise out to a reef near Bawe island acquaintances were made and buddies picked.

The wreck itself was a tad disappointing. Although the briefing by Amani had covered all the essentials and had been thorough in terms of safety procedures, no indication of the size of the wreck had been given. Hence my initial thoughts of "With a lifeboat that size, it must be a huge wreck" soon turned to disappointment when Amani went straight for it. Following the dive plan we then finned away following the contours of the sandy bottom up to some outcrops of reef, home to a scorpionfish and an assortment of triggerfish, butterflyfish and coachmen.

By the time we'd started puttering along to The Aquarium at Murogo Reef (how many Aquariums are there around the world?) bellies were grumbling and the crew laid out a spread fit for an Omani Sultan, once the rulers of Zanzibar and the most successful slave and spice traders in Africa. After samoosas, spring rolls, chapattis and fresh fruits and a leisurely spot of digestion it was time to pull on our shorties again. The visibility was around 15 metres and the site deserved its moniker. The highlight of the dive was the large remora that took a fancy to one of the diver's bare leg, his squeals being vaguely reminiscent of dolphin chatter as he trashed around trying to avoid its attempted love bites. Back on the dhow he was informed that remora like to live on sharks, and that one is never very far from the other.

The reefs around Stone Town are fairly plentiful and other, larger wrecks exist too. And while any aficionado of Bass Lake would gawk in amazement at the coral formations and the fish life, the reefs have suffered greatly from plagues of crown of thorns, draining the coral of any colour.

Back on shore in Stone Town there is a bit of sightseeing to do; central Stone Town is a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleyways, flanked by crumbling mansions and mosques. The main attractions are the massive Zanzibari wooden doors, Mercury's restaurant and bar (Freddy of Queen fame is Unguja's most famous son) by Big Tree, the House of Wonders, the Omani Fort, Tippu Tip's house, the Hamamni Persian Baths, and the fish market (conservationists beware: you will find sharks here). The night food market in Forodhani Gardens is alleged, by my guidebook, to host the best food market in East Africa. If the guidebook was written for flies, this is undoubtedly true.